Matthew McAveeney was captured in Belmont North Carolina and charged with being a fugitive from justice. McAveeney will be transported back to Massachusetts and charged with murder and other offenses related to the death of his mother, Barbara McAveeney at the Parkview Condominiums. The Winchester Police Department would like to thank all agencies involved with […]

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Matthew McAveeney was captured in Belmont North Carolina and charged with being a fugitive from justice. McAveeney will be transported back to Massachusetts and charged with murder and other offenses related to the death of his mother, Barbara McAveeney at the Parkview Condominiums.

The Winchester Police Department would like to thank all agencies involved with the investigation and capture of McAveeney including the Massachusetts State Police and Belmont North Carolina Police Department.

WINCHESTER — Police Chief Kenneth C. Albertelli announces that the Winchester Police Department yesterday arrested an alleged product counterfeiter and seized a large quantity of fake products from his home.As a result of a long, diligent investigation, which involved federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations agents, ANTHONY CHRISTOPHER MARINO, AGE 54, of WINCHESTER was arrested and charged with multiple counts of Counterfeit Trademark Distribution and Larceny by a Single Scheme (G.L. C.266, s.30).

Winchester Police, working with their federal counterparts, spent several months investigating reports that a local man had registered several Internet domain names and was selling counterfeit vaporizers under the brand name “Ploom.”

Vaporizers are electronic devices used to extract the active ingredients from plant materials, like tobacco and marijuana, and heat them up with a heating element instead of a flame. This eliminates smoke and secondhand smoke. Ploom is a California-based company, established in 2006, that produces a variety of these products.

After tracking MARINO’S alleged activities, including tracking shipments and customers, and making controlled buys of the counterfeit products, Winchester police served a search warrant on MARINO’S home on Belknap Terrace and obtained about 300 counterfeit vaporizers, which MARINO was allegedly selling for about $200 a piece online.

“This is a fine example of gumshoe police work, seeking out fraudulent activity in our community and rooting it out,” Chief Albertelli said. “Our detectives, working with their federal counterparts, successfully closed this long-term case and brought an alleged counterfeiter to justice.”

Additional charges may be forthcoming.

MARINO was released on bail. Any questions about arraignment or court dates should be referred to the Office of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

WINCHESTER — Police Chief Kenneth C. Albertelli announces that a pair of local brothers have been arrested and charged after a lengthy investigation that started in February with the overdose death of a Quincy man.

TIMOTHY SALVATORE SABBAG, AGE 24 OF JAMES STREET IN WINCHESTER has been charged with the following:

• Distribution of a Class A Substance (Heroin)
• Distribution of a Class C Substance (Diazepam)
• Distribution of a Class D Substance (Marijuana)
• Possession of a Class A Substance with Intent to Distribute (Heroin)
• Possession of a Class C Substance with Intent to Distribute (Diazepam)
• Possession of a Class D Substance with Intent to Distribute (Marijuana)
• Conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substance Act

Police are also working with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and may also seek additional charges in connection with the February overdose death.

His younger brother, NICHOLAS ROBERT SABBAG, AGE 18, ALSO OF JAMES STREET IN WINCHESTER has been charged with the following:

“Today we are seeing the results of extremely hard work by the Winchester Police Department and our partner agencies,” Chief Albertelli said. “The amazing level of cooperation that exists among municipal and regional law enforcement groups helped this case come together, and a pair of drug dealers won’t be selling their poison in our community anymore.”
The arrests came after an investigation by Winchester Police, with the assistance of the Southern Middlesex Regional Drug Task Force, which acts as a force multiplier by bringing in personnel and resources from a variety of local and regional agencies under the command of Winchester PD.

The investigation began in February after a 25-year-old Quincy man died of a heroin overdose while in his motor vehicle in Winchester. Police reviewed the victim’s phone records and text messages and determined that he had allegedly communicated with TIMOTHY SABBAG via text message less than an hour before he died. In fact, text message records showed that the victim allegedly met with TIMOTHY SABBAG just 12 minutes before the victim called 911 and was found, unresponsive, minutes later.

A detailed investigation followed, using resources from a number of police agencies, through the regional task force, which ultimately led to police arresting TIMOTHY SABBAG in a parking lot in Winchester on Friday, July 11, 2014 and then immediately executing a search warrant of his home.

Searching the home, police found thousands of dollars in cash, a large quantity of marijuana, diazepam/Valium pills, lorazepam/Ativan pills, a quantity of heroin, a scale, plastic bags, and other drug paraphernalia. NICHOLAS SABBAG was arrested at the home.

Winchester has experienced two confirmed overdose deaths so far in 2014. Heroin and opioid overdoses are a major problem in communities around the country. In March, Governor Deval Patrick declared it to be a Public Health Crisis.

“It is not enough to simply arrest drug dealers for dealing drugs. In this instance, our investigation showed that Timothy Sabbag sold heroin to a man minutes before he died of a heroin overdose,” Chief Albertelli said. “We need to hold these people accountable for not just the lives that they ruin, but also the lives that their products end.”

The Winchester Police Department and the Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community is launching tip411, an internet based tool that enables the public to text message an anonymous tip to police, and lets the police respond back creating a two way anonymous “chat”.

Reserved exclusively for Public Safety purposes and powered by CitizenObserver, a St. Paul MN company, tip411 puts a powerful new crime fighting tool into the hands of our community for all ages and demographics. tip411 is a national program that benefits over 1000 communities around the county.

Anyone with a cell phone can now send an anonymous tip to Winchester Police by texting the word Winchester and the tip information to 847411 (tip411).

The Cambridge Police Department arrested Vincent Ghetti, 51 of Boston after an altercation with a citizen in their city. The investigation into the altercation revealed that Ghetti possessed several pieces of stolen property. The property was stolen from a Winchester residence on the same day. Ghetti was charged by Cambridge Police with receiving stolen property. Ghetti is being charged by Winchester Police for breaking and entering and larceny.

The Winchester Police Relief Association fundraiser has begun. Unfortunately, scams do exist where people not involved with the relief association attempt to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals wishing to make a contribution. The relief association would like to take this opportunity to announce that our fundraiser has begun and will continue through mid April. If you do wish to contribute, please be certain to make checks payable to Winchester Police Relief Association. One option to contribute is to leave your donation taped to your door or mailbox for one of our solicitors to pick up. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a check for one of our solicitors, you can mail it to 30 Mt. Vernon Street, Winchester MA 01890 or drop it off at the police station. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Relief Association President, Officer Stephen Palmer at (781) 729 -1214.

The Winchester Police Department, along with Medford, Arlington, Revere, Saugus, Danvers, Malden, Melrose, Winthrop, Chelsea, Everett and Woburn; have been investigating several men from Revere and Saugus for house breaks throughout the area. Investigators from those communities have worked together over the last several weeks, resulting in the arrest of Eric Cuppernell and Michael Sullivan Jr. of Saugus as well as James Marino and Michael Brancato of Medford. The arrests were related to this investigation and additional charges are pending as the investigation continues.

Warrants were executed at a residence in Saugus and at a hotel on Route 1 where dozens of stolen property was recovered. That property is in the process of being inventoried and identified with hope it can be returned to its owners.

The individuals involved were responsible for numerous breaks throughout the area and were highly organized using different vehicles, police scanners, lookouts and communication as part of their operation. As the investigation continues, the involved agencies are confident similar cases will be solved as more information is distributed. Cases of Breaking and Entering are common but extremely difficult to investigate and prosecute. The collaboration between agencies in this investigation has been invaluable and will likely continue.

The Winchester Police Department is proud to join over 80 agencies in hand delivering Nathan’s Christmas wish. Nathan Norman is a 6 year old Rustburg Virgina boy who has been battling a rare form of cancer since 2009. Nathan’s wish was to receive cards from police officers, fire fighters and EMT’s. Organized by the Burlington Police Department, a large convoy of 93 police cars and over 200 officers left Burlington early this morning to meet Nathan and his family and hand deliver his wish. Two representative’s of the Winchester Police Department volunteered their own time to make the trip for Nathan and help make his wish come true.